Obsession
by Shana5
Summary: Zartan wants Scarlett for himself...This fic is based on what might have happened after the Gamesmaster episode.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing....Hasbro, Marvel and Sunbow own it....making no money off of it.....so don't sue.....please...I am broke!  
  
There are way to many people for me to thank....but you know who you are and please know how grateful I am. I couldn't have written this fic without you! This is my first fic and I hope you enjoy it.  
  
Obsession  
  
Duke and Scarlett were flying back from the Games Master's Island of Toys. Duke was being rather quiet and that was worrying Scarlett. "Penny for your thoughts."  
  
"What? " Duke said as if he weren't paying attention.  
  
"Is there something wrong? Why are you so quite?"  
  
"Oh nothing, really," Duke answered under a deep breath.  
  
"Come on Duke, what is it?" Scarlett knew there was something wrong. Usually he took full advantage of any time they had alone together.  
  
"It's just that, well, what the hell was Zartan saying to you? I didn't like that one bit!" Duke finally admitted.  
  
"No, this can't be!" Scarlett was starting to giggle.  
  
"What's so funny!" Duke was a little surprised with her response.  
  
"Duke, you are jealous! Not only that, but jealous of ZARTAN! I mean, come on....ZARTAN!" She was now laughing uncontrollably.  
  
"No, I am not jealous and this is not the least bit funny!" Duke was a little annoyed and embarrassed because he knew he was terribly jealous but didn't want to admit it.  
  
"Oh yes you are....and YES this is VERY funny. But not to worry, you are the only man I want and you know it." Scarlett said as she was trying to console her boyfriend.  
  
"Oh, really?" Duke threw back with a cute little smirk.  
  
"Uh huh, do ya wanna know how much I want you?" Scarlett leaned in and whispered into his ear seductively.  
  
"Well, now that you mention it, YES!!" Duke said as a huge grin crossed his face and a chill ran down his spine.  
  
"Just wait till we get back to your quarters and I will let you find out."  
  
"Oh come on babe, not even just a little hint?" Jealousy being the furthest thing from his mind at this point.  
  
"Well, since you insist! First, I will put on my favorite lingerie, then shower you with kisses over your entire...."  
  
"Ackkkk, go Duke, go Duke, Ackkkk!"  
  
"SHUT UP ya stupid bird, this is getting interesting!" Shipwreck yelled at Polly.  
  
"SHIPWRECK!!!!!!!!" Duke screamed.  
  
"I know, I know...your office first thing in the morning. By the way, Damn you are a lucky man! What I wouldn't give for Scarlett to do that for ...."  
  
"That's enough! Don't even think about finishing that one Sailor Boy!" Scarlett cut him off.  
  
Right then a sea of laughter blared from the radio. The entire JOE team had heard what had just transpired. Duke and Scarlett were mortified. They had forgotten all about having full radio contact with the rest of the team. Nevertheless, they were just looking forward to what was to come later in Duke's quarters.  
  
Zartan sat laughing quietly to himself at the conversation he had just heard. "Just you wait Duke. You will have a lot more to be jealous about by the time I get through with you!" Duke and Scarlett had no idea that Zartan had bugged their Sky Striker. "My dear Scarlett, you will be mine. One way or another, I will have you." He simply sat back and began to make his plans on taking Scarlett for himself.  
  
A few weeks later, Cobra Temple  
  
"Why have you come here Zartan, I have not sent for you," Cobra Commander asked.  
  
"Because Commander, I have some information that I think will be of great use to you and Cobra," said Zartan matter of factly.  
  
"Pleassssse Zartan, enlighten us."  
  
"Well Commander, it seems that there is a romance between two of the Joes, that will prove useful if my plan works as I hope," Zartan was quite confident in his statement.  
  
Cobra Commander burst into laughter, "Zartan, you fool! Everyone already knows about the romance between the ones they call Flint and Lady Jaye. That is old news. You too were on the Games Master's Island!"  
  
"If it pleases you Commander, I am not talking about Flint and Lady Jaye, I am referring to your "old friend" Duke."  
  
"What!!! With who? Tell me....this is quite interesting," exclaimed the Commander.  
  
"The red head they call Scarlett, my dear Commander," Zartan now had a huge smile on his face.  
  
"Yessss Zartan, this is better than I could have thought. With this information, we could bring the entire chain of command in GI JOE to its knees!" the Commander now relishing the thought of victory, " if we could somehow captured one, if not both of these women, the chain of command in GI JOE would be totally out of control with grief. We could easily take them out for good! HAHHAHAHAHHAAA"  
  
"Do whatever you please with the dark haired woman, she is of no interest to me."  
  
"Really Zartan, then what is of interest to you," the Commander was less than amused.  
  
"I want the girl, the one they call Scarlett!"  
  
"What, that is all? No money, no jewels, nothing but the girl? That is all the 'fee' you want"  
  
"Yes...that is all, the girl"  
  
All the Commander could do was laugh, "Frankly Zartan, I never took you for the romantic type."  
  
"If it pleases you Commander, what I have planned with her is none of your concern. You should be planning the downfall of the Joes. Let me handle the girl."  
  
"Very well, she is all yours Zartan....I will have GI JOE at it's knees and you will have the girl. VICTORY IS OURS!!!! COBRA!!!!!!!!"  
  
Two days later, Scarlett and LJ's Suite  
  
Scarlett and LJ were sitting on the couch looking through an old photo album. In it were pictures of the two with Duke and Flint. They were giggling at a picture of the four after a game of football where all four ended up covered in mud, when a knock was heard at the door. Jaye got up to answer the door to find Duke on the other side. She smiled and said, "Scarlett, I believe this is for you!."  
  
"Hiya darlin, what's up?" Scarlett said while still laughing at the photos.  
  
"I have a surprise for you. Come with me, ok"  
  
"Ok, give me a second to get my coat. I'll be right there," Scarlett smiled enthusiastically and gave him a wink.  
  
As she and Duke were leaving, Scarlett turned to Jaye and told her not to wait up. Jaye just rolled her eyes and waved goodbye to the "loving" couple. In all truth, she was glad that Scarlett was leaving. She hadn't had any private time with Flint in quite awhile, so she was looking forward to having the suite tonight.  
  
A Few Hours Later  
  
Flint knocked on the door and waited for Jaye to answer. A minute later, he heard her tell him to come in. The moment he walked in the door, Jaye tackled him. They hit the floor, with Jaye landing on top of him. Flint softly chuckled, "It's nice to see you too!."  
  
Jaye helped him up, and shut the door, but didn't let him get too far. She was right behind him and already kissing his neck and playing with the hair at it's nape. Flint was in heaven and didn't waste anytime as he turned to her and passionately kissed her lips. Their hands began wandering each other's bodies until Flint reached down and picked her up. Jaye wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to the couch. As he laid her down, he took a long look into the eyes of the woman he loved. He wondered to himself how he could ever be lucky enough to have such an exceptional woman love him in return. He then leaned in to gently kiss her sweet lips again.  
  
Flint pulled back and whispered lovingly into her ear, "I love you, Allie."  
  
" I love you too, Dash." Flint smiled. They caressed one another and began to make love until they were both completely fulfilled.  
  
After a few minutes of cuddling, Flint asked where Scarlett was. "I don't know, why do you ask," was Jaye's reply.  
  
"It's just that we were lucky not to have her walk in on us, you know how she is always in and out...we have almost been caught several times," he was laughing the whole time he said this.  
  
"Oh Dash, I wasn't worried about that. She left with Duke hours ago. And said not to wait up, so I knew she wouldn't interrupt anything," Jaye was caressing Flint's cheek with the last part of her statement.  
  
"Uh Jaye, she left with Duke?"  
  
"Yeah, hours ago," She was puzzled by his reaction.  
  
"How could she have left with Duke hours ago when I just got out of a meeting with him no less than an hour ago? I came here right as the meeting adjourned."  
  
"What! How can that be? She left with DUKE....I know it was Duke, I let him in," Jaye was now worried for her friend.  
  
"Ok, let's go to Duke's quarters and see if he is there. Then we will find out that nothing is wrong," Flint was worried too, but tried not to let Jaye know.  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye quickly got dressed and headed for Duke's quarters. When they got there, Duke was just shutting his door. He noticed his two friends running towards him and stopped them to ask what was wrong.  
  
"Duke, where is Scarlett?" Jaye asked as she caught her breath.  
  
"I was just on my way to your suite to see her. Why? What happened? Is she ok?" Duke was now very alarmed.  
  
"We don't know Duke, that is what we are going to find out," Flint was trying to stay calm.  
  
"Just tell me what you know....why would something be wrong with her...TELL ME!" it was all Duke could do to keep his voice down.  
  
"Duke, where did she go after you two got back to base?" Jaye was trying to piece together what might have happened.  
  
"What are you talking about Jaye, I haven't seen her today. Not since she left my place this morning anyway."  
  
"But you came and asked her to go with you....You had a surprise for her," Jaye was almost in tears.  
  
"I don't know what is going on, but again, I haven't seen her today. Flint, get Hawk, tell him the situation. Then get Breaker to try and get a trace on her, I just hope she had her homing device on her," Duke finished giving his orders all the while hiding the fact that his heart was about to burst with fear for his beloved Scarlett. The three then went to the control room to begin their search.  
  
Two hours earlier, about five miles outside the base  
  
Scarlett was staring out the window of the Jeep as the scenery was flying by. Duke was quiet, unusually quiet. Something was strange. He wasn't acting like himself. But Scarlett was trying not to think about it. She was just enjoying being off base with him. She was also very curious as to what kind of surprise Duke had in store for her. They had been talking about marriage lately, and she was almost hoping that the reason for his strange behavior was nervousness. Was Duke going to propose? She decided to try and get something out of him.  
  
"Duke?" Silence was all the response she received. Again, she called his name, "Duke!"  
  
"What is it?" He finally responded.  
  
"Are you going to give me at least a little hint as to the surprise you have for me?" Scarlett asked with a childlike grin on her face.  
  
"Do you really want to know?"  
  
"YES!!" She giggled.  
  
"Well, my dear Scarlett, I will tell you....in due time," His voice was different and Scarlett was alarmed.  
  
Before she could react, Duke sprayed knock out gas in her face and just as she was losing consciousness, the man pulled off his mask to reveal his true identity, Zartan!  
  
  
  
GI JOE Control Room, several hours later  
  
Duke was pacing the room while asking every five minutes for a status report. To no avail, nothing more was known. Scarlett was missing. They had searched the base thoroughly several times; she was not there. Several Joes had volunteered to form a search party and left to find out anything they could. Breaker was about to give another report as they received a transmission from and unknown location. A very familiar face appeared on the screen.  
  
"ZARTAN!" Duke yelled.  
  
"Duke, I am so glad you remember me," he said sarcastically.  
  
"What do you want, Zartan?"  
  
"Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking that you might give me the access codes for your new computer system, that's all."  
  
"And why would we do that?" Breaker added in as he popped a bubble from the gum in his mouth.  
  
"Because, if you don't," the picture zoomed out to show Scarlett bound to a chair, "I will kill your precious Scarlett!"  
  
"YOU BASTARD!!!" Duke yelled. His could hardly bear the sight of her in danger.  
  
"Come now Duke, you don't have to be so loud....just give me what I want, and she is all yours."  
  
"Duke, No! Don't do it....You can't do it!" Scarlett pleaded with him.  
  
"Shut her up boys!" Zartan commanded the Dreadnoks. Buzzer and Ripper put a gag in her mouth as instructed.  
  
"Zartan...you hurt her and I'll...."  
  
"You'll what Duke? Kill me? That is quite amusing. You won't do a thing as long as I have her."  
  
"And you know that as long as she is with you....You will get nothing!" Duke stated.  
  
Zartan walked over to Scarlett and rubbed the side of her face. Duke cringed at the sight of that man touching Scarlett. In turn, Scarlett closed her eyes in disgust. She would have bit him if it were not for the gag in her mouth. He had an amused look on his face as he uttered his next words, "But Duke, I have already gotten so much! Now, the codes have yet to come to my grasp, Scarlett is quite the solider after all. But she has given me so much more."  
  
"What are you getting at Zartan," Duke said through clinched teeth.  
  
"She has only given me the satisfaction of seeing you squirm!" Zartan began rubbing his hands all over Scarlett's body; she tried to fight him, but her restraints proved too strong. "I see now why you want her back so badly. Tell me Duke, is she a wildcat in the bedroom?" he could hardly hold back his laughter due to the site of Duke's face at his last statement.  
  
"TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!" Duke was livid; he wanted nothing more than to jump through that screen and tear him apart limb from limb.  
  
"Testy aren't we? I take it that you won't give up the codes either. Maybe this attempt is futile, but we will have this discussion again," Zartan said as if he were planning on giving up. He walked to the back of Scarlett and stood there for a moment to gather his thoughts. Then, an evil and menacing smile crossed his face.  
  
"I will have those codes, one way or the other. But as for your Scarlett here, I don't think you will be seeing her again." Zartan pulled out his knife and in one swift motion, pulled Scarlett's head back and slit her throat! 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Hasbro, Marvel and Sunbow own all characters. I am making no profit from this fic.  
  
Special thanks go out to Mickey, Robin, Allie and Kris. I bugged them to death over this chapter and they have helped me tremendously. I take no credit for the battle scene, that was written by Mickey. (she is after all the Queen of Blowing Stuff Up!)  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Noooooooooooooo!" Duke screamed as he watched the life slip out of Scarlett's eyes all as maniacal laughter filled the room. He fell to his knees, feeling his breath being stolen from him; His life was ending with Scarlett's.  
  
As the transmission ended, the alarm sounded. Cobra was attacking. After a few moments, all the Joes realized what was happening and began their counter-attack. Duke was the exception, the soldier freezing with the reality of what just transpired. Seeing Duke still on his knees, Flint reached out to him and tried to snap him out of his shock.  
  
"Duke, man. I know it's damn evil of me to say this, but we need you right now. You have to fight. Help us get those bastards that did this!"  
  
"He will pay." Duke's icy words rang through the control room as he stood up and headed for battle. Pure hatred was painted all over his face in place of the love and compassion that were normally such a part of his appearance.  
  
The battle was fierce. Cobra seemed to have the upper hand. Many Joes looked to be in shock, as they put up half hearted attempts to defeat the tyrants that took the life of their friend. However, most of them seemed out for blood, violent and filled with rage. The battle was an outlet for the pain they were feeling. Even Beach Head himself had nothing but revenge on his mind. He made no secret of the fact that he didn't like women in the military, but he had to admit he had great respect for Scarlett. Hell, he had great respect for all 3 women on the force. Scarlett, Lady Jaye and Cover Girl had proven their worth on the team time and time again and he knew that a loss like Scarlett would be hard felt.  
  
Duke wanted nothing more than to take out any and every Cobra that stood between him and revenge. He was going to make them pay, one way or the other. He stormed out of the hanger with his firearms blazing and began taking out every Cobra in sight. Just as he took out yet another trooper with the butt of his rifle, forceful enough to crack his jaw, a Viper Glider flew overhead and fired a very familiar looking weapon at Duke, the shot landing right at his feet. His mind was instantly taken away from the battle, as Cobra had hoped. Duke picked up the object that had been fired; realizing immediately that the weapon was Scarlett's crossbow because in his hand was held one of her arrows. Around the arrow hung Scarlett's Joe Tags; a cruel reminder of what had happened to his love.  
  
"Fucking Bastards!" Duke yelled, raising his rifle towards the glider. He fired until the bolt ran dry; long after the Viper had retreated. He hadn't noticed the other Cobra troopers retreating as well.  
  
"What the hell…" Flint asked. "It's like they're just giving up! They're running, let's give 'em a reason to head for the hills, Joes!" Gung-Ho, Ace and the others followed, still firing their weapons at the retreating Cobra, until from the horizon, they spotted the line of FANG choppers.  
  
"GET DOWN!" Flint screamed, as they began to fire. Several missiles streaked from the flying craft most landing just short of where the Joes had dropped. A few fell short, effectively taking out some of their own troopers. The FANGS continued to fire in rapid succession as the surviving Cobra troops were loaded onto a transport chopper, and lifted to safety.  
  
"Dammit!" Ace swore as the bullets kept raining. "I told myself this morning that today was not a good day to die!" Two more close calls left many of the others with the same sentiment.  
  
"Hold your horses, here comes the Calvary!" Wild Bill called out, the Dragonfly's guns blazing as the chopper soared over his pinned down buddies. He managed to take out two of the FANG choppers before having to bank hard left; narrowly escaping a missile hit himself. The remaining FANGS retreated along with the transport chopper, causing the men below to temporarily forget their sorrow, letting out a few battle cries as Wild Bill flipped on his external mic.  
  
"We got some Tomahawk's coming for your evac, but I thought you coulda used an extra six shooter a bit early, pardners!" He drawled in his Texas accent.  
  
"DAMN STRAIGHT…" Flint shouted his voice muffled by the crafts rotors.  
  
"Anybody seen Duke?" Gung Ho asked, cutting short the celebration.  
  
Duke was the only Joe to remain behind, his weapon now discarded, clutching Scarlett's tags. "They're gonna pay for this." He said to no one as the metal dug into his clenched fist. "So help me God, Red, they're gonna pay."  
  
One month later, Control Room  
  
"ROCK AND ROLL, FRONT AND CENTER!" Duke's angry voice filled the room.  
  
"Yeah Duke, what's up?"  
  
"YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS SERGEANT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"  
  
"Um, YES SERGEANT!"  
  
"YOUR APPEARANCE IS TOTALLY OUT OF REGULATION. YOU WILL BE CLEAN-SHAVEN AND HAVE A REGULATION HAIRCUT BY THE START OF YOU NEXT SHIFT. IS THAT CLEAR!"  
  
"Duke, lighten up, this isn't boot camp anymore," Cover Girl stated in response to Duke's tirade. Duke was not pleased with Cover Girl's comment and shot her a dirty look as he stormed past her and Lady Jaye out of the control room.  
  
"Man, what was that all about," Rock and Roll was almost dazed," Duke was the one that okayed my beard. It's almost like we have another Beach Head on our hands. And if that's not a downer, nothing is."  
  
"It's ok Rock, he's just in one of his moods," Cover tried to reassure Rock and Roll, and herself.  
  
Lady Jaye looked at Cover Girl with worry in her eyes, "He hasn't been himself, ever since Scarlett...." Jaye stopped her statement short. It was still very painful for her to think about what happened. She and Scarlett were the best of friends and Jaye was one of the ones most affected by her death.  
  
"I know, but he's taking it out on the wrong people. It's Cobra that deserves it, not Rock and Roll, not the other Joes. He's been pulling this shit for a month straight," Cover Girl was obviously upset at Duke for his behavior, but you could see that she was just as worried.  
  
"Did you see him at the Memorial Service? He wasn't even gonna go, but Flint forced him to. He sat on the back row.... didn't say a word and I don't think he has even shed a tear yet. He just sits in his office all day, unless he is needed somewhere, rips into anyone and everyone for the most minor things and then goes straight to his room, if he even goes to his room at all. The man doesn't sleep anymore."  
  
"It's like he hasn't accepted it, he won't accept it," Cover Girl replied.  
  
"He has never gone to her grave either," Lady Jaye said almost astonished. Even though Scarlett's body wasn't recovered, the Joes wanted her to have a "resting place." They designated a small area at the corner of base, which was one of Scarlett's favorite spots to go when off duty, and put up a memorial stone with a plaque, which told a little about her, her life, her achievements, abilities, and how very much she would be missed. Many of the Joes left flowers at the memorial as well as other objects that held special meaning between them and Scarlett.  
  
"I know, Allie. He is really taking this whole thing hard. He needs some time off, and he needs to quit carrying her tags around with him. It's nothing more a reminder that she's gone."  
  
"I'm just so worried about him. He is such a great friend and I hate to see him like this. I couldn't bear to lose him too," Lady Jaye tried to keep her eyes from welling with tears, but it was no use. She wasn't usually emotional, but the past month had been so hard.  
  
"Everything is going to be ok....I promise. Duke will be fine, we just have to give him some time," Cover Girl consoled her teammate and new friend. She and Lady Jaye had never been close, but the recent tragedy had brought them closer. It was a comfort to both women.  
  
Later that day  
  
Cover Girl ran into Duke as he was coming out of his office. He was in another one of his "moods." She had thought about asking him for coffee, just to try and get his mind off things and cheer him up, nothing more. It was true that when Cover Girl first arrived on base, she had been attracted to him, but that attraction turned into more of a brother/sister relationship. She saw how much in love Duke and Scarlett were and didn't want to interfere in that. Hell, it was Duke and Scarlett that set her up with Ripcord, whom she was now seriously dating.  
  
"Hey Duke, what do you say we go out for some coffee or something? You need to get out of here for a little while, you are working way to hard."  
  
Duke stared at her with contempt, "I just lost the love of my life no more than a month ago...and you are standing there asking me out!"  
  
"NO, Duke...it's not like that, you know I'm dating Ripcord. You are my friend and I just thought you needed a break, to get your mind off things. I am worried about you, we all are....You aren't the same person...you are mean, abusive, and down right unbearable!"  
  
"Well , Corporal Krieger," she could tell he was about to go off on another tirade, "I think you need to stop worrying about me and start worrying about the reason you are here...YOUR JOB!....Now, if that will be all here" Duke tried to storm past her again, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.  
  
Cover Girl had had enough, she wasn't going to take anymore of this, "Look, I've put up with being your pin cushion up until now Sgt. Hauser, and I've been willing to let a lot slide, because I know you're hurting. But NEWSFLASH, you're not the only one! A lot of people cared about Scarlett, and believe it or not, I include myself on that list. So you can say what you want about me personally, but I'm not the one letting this affect MY job. Life goes on, even when you don't want it to. You can continue to sit here and feel sorry for yourself all you want. You can be mad at the world all you want, but you can do it alone. That being said, yes, 'that will be all here,'" she restated his words, turned and left Duke standing outside his office in shock that someone had actually stood up to him.  
  
Duke's Quarters, 5 minutes later  
  
Duke tore into his quarters, trying his best to be stay mad, but Cover Girl's words had hit home. This really was affecting his job, his life...but what was he talking about, Scarlett was his life and with her gone, what was the point of living? What was the point of anything? He needed to relax. Duke walked over to the stereo and turned the radio on. A nice up beat song was playing and it almost set him at ease. As the song played, he went over to the couch and laid back, trying to erase the world if only for a moment.  
  
As Duke was lying on the couch, the song on the radio came to an end. The next song began to play and Duke immediately knew what it was. He shot up from his lying position. He wasn't expecting to here this song, Scarlett's favorite song. The song that she had tortured him with countless times, but wasn't going to admit that he liked it too. The music continued to play and as the words began, Duke couldn't help but see the irony in the song. It truly said everything he was feeling at this moment. He picked up a picture of he and Scarlett from the table and simply stared at the women he was so much in love with.  
  
"Looking back on the memory of  
  
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above  
  
For a moment all the world was right  
  
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye  
  
(chorus)  
  
And now I'm glad I didn't know  
  
The way it all would end, the way it all would go  
  
Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain  
  
But I'd of had to miss the dance  
  
Holding you I held everything........  
  
The start of the second verse was all Duke could handle. It was tearing him up inside. He jumped from the couch and tried to turn the stereo off. He was so upset that he was fumbling with the dials. But that damn song was still playing and he couldn't bear it any longer. With all the anger and frustration that had ever been in his body, Duke grabbed the stereo and threw it across the room. And finally, the music stopped.  
  
Lady Jaye was leaving Flint's quarter's when she heard the loud crash coming from Duke's room. Luckily the door was unlocked, allowing her to slowly open the door and check inside. She saw Duke standing there, gasping for breath and the reamins of his stereo against the wall. He looked as if he was completely drained of energy and couldn't hold back his emotions any longer. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out Scarlett's Joe Tags. Duke held them in his hands and was reading them time and again, when he saw the picture he'd been holding dropped on the floor. The glass in the frame had shattered upon impact, but it almost fit. His life was shattered for Scarlett wasn't with him.  
  
As Jaye was watching the scene before her, Duke fell to his knees clutching Scarlett's tags to his chest. She walked over and knelt down beside him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. Duke lifted his head and looked at her. His eyes widened, seeing Scarlett kneeling beside him. After only a brief moment, the vision of Scarlett vanished and there was Lady Jaye staring back with a look of sadness and concern on her face. She took Duke in her arms. She began to hold him, and for the first time in his life he gave into his emotions and ........  
  
Duke cried. 


End file.
